A META-ANALYSIS ON THE EFFECTIVENESS OF FLIPPED CLASSROOM IN MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

The flipped classroom has become an increasingly popular way of teaching mathematics, in both K12 and higher education settings [1]. The existing evidence is promising, but highly variable: some studies show that the flipped classroom produces large gains in achievement, while others show minimal or non-existent gain. In the present study, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of the flipped classroom in mathematics education and to identify the factors influencing its efficacy. We surveyed educational databases (e.g., ERIC, ProQuest) to find all the published and unpublished studies measuring the efficacy of the flipped classroom in mathematics education between 2010 and 2017. To be considered in our analysis, studies had to: compare the flipped classroom to a control group, implement video lectures as an out of class activity, and require the presence of the student in the classroom. A total of 34 published and unpublished studies were included in the meta-analysis (36 distinct effect sizes, 8598 participants). Thirty-four effect sizes were positive, two were negative. The average impact of the flipped classroom on achievement, weighted by the precision of the estimates, was (d = 0.27, CI: 0.22 to 0.31), slightly lower than the typical impact of educational interventions (e.g., [2]) The analysis of the factors of success is not yet completed, but a preliminary analysis shows that the effectiveness of the flipped classroom is influenced by the duration of the intervention, the type of activity conducted outside of the class, the language of the participants and their grade level. Considering the growing popularity of the flipped classroom in mathematics education as well as the effort required to implement it in the classroom, it is crucial to know when this approach is effective and which factors contribute to its success.